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I've decided that when it comes to on-line communities, smaller is better.

Scalzi's recent entry about reminding people to be, you know, civil, is a case in point.

The Whatever and the Whateveresque used to be places where people of good conscience could discuss issues that mattered to them like adults. I enjoyed commenting, and responding to the comments of others. I've met some interesting, funny and decent people through those communities.

Alas, I feel that is no longer the case. The flinging monkey poo reached epic proportions on the Whateveresque at one point, and it now appears the silly season is affecting the Whatever in the same way. I no longer even read the comments, let alone respond. It makes me glad that my little corner of the Intertoobs is small enough that the crazies haven't taken up residence.

Oddly enough, there have been a few posts I considered commenting on... then I almost just emailed John the comment. Then, I just just clicked "next" in my Google blog reader thingy, and go the next blog.

Making Light is not a fun place for me either. I dunno about monkey poo, but sheer volume of people makes it difficult.

There's a tone at Making Light of "you must be THIS TALL to ride this ride." And you know, I am that tall, but I don't like playing THAT GAME. So I don't.

I hope Scalzi's doesn't head that way too, although I only occasionally comment there too, as the mood strikes me. Like Janiece, I read him via feed reader - while UCF blogs I read in person so I can comment.

I very rarely frequent ML, and I've been lurking on Whatever more than anything. I might comment there once every couple weeks. I don't think I've been on Whateveresque since NaNo last year. Too bad, I missed a lot of funny stuff when most of the UCF was first there. I didn't even come to the UCF from there, directly at least.

Scalzi's head does seem a little big recently, but that's understandable considering how his career's going now. And when I get over there and there are already 150 comments what's the point of me adding anything and/or looking at what everyone else has said.

Also, did y'all read Scalzi's latest short "story"? It's funny and all, but part of me doesn't want to call it a story, because there really isn't a plot to it. He's got a few like that out there now.

I very rarely comment on Whatever - as mentioned, if there's already 150 comments, what's the point. And I have no problem with discussion where reasonable people disagree, and can defend their positions with some logic and evidence, but it seems once a blog hits a certain density of readership, poo flinging becomes inevitable.

Unlike Matt, I actually liked Scalzi's most recent short story. I found it humorous, and while plotless, I'm a very electic reader and have seen similar story constructions in other genres.

But yeah, the bacon thing is getting old, although I think that would go away if others quit mentioning it. It goes to show how trapped you can get by one incident, even when the incident was, for you, a throwaway incident.

Just as an aside, I know Scalzi would like the whole bacon thing to die as well. At Confusion last year he complained about it quite a bit. I never did get into Whateveresqe, there just seemed to be too much to keep track of. I no longer have the time to do that. And I've noticed that the 101st Keyboard Brigade is back in full force on the Whatever political posts. I've wanted to tussle with them (it's a favorite sport of mine), but, see comment on Whatevereque concerning time.

Weighing in late here, I've been busy for the last three days. So sorry, life, you know.

I haven't been in the 'e in months. And once I was addicted to the Whatever, logging in a dozen times a day - not only for Scalzi but also for the commenters, Steve and Chang especially. In the last year though, the tone has changed, I've read the Whatever since before Scalzi wrote OMW, and there's a major change between then and now - there's a real vein of arrogance now.

And the commenters have changed, there too fucking many of them now and too many of them are assholes.

Scalzi no longer replies to his regulars, maybe we're lost in the static, I don't know. More than anything, it's the tone of the site and that it's become way too impersonal.

ML? I've never liked, and that includes the proprietors. They're right and smarter than anybody else - and you're not. Fuck you. Frankly I don't need that kind of irritation.

About Me

I am a Hot Chick living in Castle Rock, CO with my fabulous family. We have a rescue dog named "Jackson," and she's a Basenji/Shepherd mix. She's something of a head case, but we love her. I'm a U.S. Navy vet, and I currently work as an Enterprise Solutions Architect, specializing in VoIP and multimedia contact center design. I'm a Trustee for my local library, because LIBRARIES. I care about science, the U.S. Constitution and the military. I'm a tax and spend liberal in a largely red county, but I try not to be stabby about it. I like to color, I aspire to run faster than I do, and I donate knitted cold weather gear to various charities. Stupidity, cupidity and wanton assholery piss me off, and I'm more than a little soft when it comes to dogs and those who serve others. I blog about whatever I feel like. I use foul language, so if that sort of thing offends you, feel free to fuck off now - if I'm unwilling to clean up my language for my fabulous Great Auntie Margie, I'm unlikely to do so for you. Newcomers are welcome here, especially those who disagree with me, but trolling and spamming will be met with the Shovel of Doom™.